{bold {ital Ab initio}} study of biquadratic coupling in Fe/Cr multilayers (abstract)

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.365500· OSTI ID:554251

Shi, Z; Wang, Y; Stocks, G M ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6032 (United States)

Magnetic coupling in multilayer materials is a fascinating phenomenon that manifests itself in a wide range of effects, including novel magnetic arrangements and anomalous transport properties. We employ locally self-consistent multiple scattering method which has recently been extended to treat general noncollinear magnetic systems to study interlayer magnetic coupling in Fe/Cr(100) multilayer structures. The direction and magnitude of magnetization of each monolayer in a magnetic multilayer with 10 monolayer (ML) Fe layers separated by a 5 ML Cr spacer are obtained. We found that the Fe layers are nearly 90{degree} coupled, and the Cr spacer is in spiral magnetic configuration. We attribute this biquadratic coupling in Fe/Cr multilayers to the nature of itinerant antiferromagnetism of the Cr spacer. These results will be discussed in connection with recent experiments. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-96OR22464
• OSTI ID: 554251
• Report Number(s): CONF-961141--
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 81; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANTIFERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS
CHROMIUM
COUPLING
FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS
IRON
LAYERS
MAGNETIZATION
MULTIPLE SCATTERING